ReAlign
by DarkHorse1
Summary: Kenshin and Kaoru take a walk through Kyoto. Poor Kenshin's mind runs away with him, and he remembers nasty moments of the revolution. Violence, big time, and a little romanceangst for flavor. Songfic.


DarkHorse says: waffwaffwaffwaff!  O, and much angst and violence

_Decisions made from desperation  
No way to go  
Internal instincts craving isolation  
For me to grow_

I stood in the clearing, surrounded by six men.  The blood dripped freely from my blade.  I was prepared.  For what, I really don't know.  Death, redemption, rescue, anything.  It was my own stupidity that led me to this.  I abandoned everything I knew for this.  For murder and intrigue.  For trust and betrayal.  

I cut through one of the men in seconds, disemboweling him.  He looked at his own entrails in horror before dying.  He slumped to the ground.  I was doing this for Japan, not for myself or for Katsura.  That's what I kept telling myself, anyways.

_My fears come alive  
In this place where I once died  
Demons dreaming  
Knowing I...I just needed to realign_

"Kenshin?" the calm female voice beside me asked.  "Are you okay?"

I nodded, and pasted on a smile.  She knew it was forced. 

"Kenshin, we don't have to do this if you don't want to.  I know how much this place bothers you."

This place.  Kyoto.

  
_Fell in a river of illusion  
And apathy  
Drowning in a self-induced confusion  
I'd rather be_

I didn't have time to think any further as another man charged me.  He had deep brown eyes that sparked furiously when I raised my blade to him.  They lost their luster as I separated his head from his body. 

The next two came at the same time, and one managed to score a wound on my left arm.  He soon lost his sword as I sent it sailing through the air along with the hand that held it.  His companion got me again as I did this, stabbing through my right thigh.  My movements now severely hampered, I swung wildly, forcing him back. 

   
_My fears come alive  
In this place where I once died  
Demons dreaming  
Knowing I...I just needed to realign_

"No, Kaoru-dono, I'll be all right.  I just…"

"Kenshin, you can talk to me.  Tell me what you're thinking."

So innocent.  I snorted.  "Kaoru-dono, I don't believe you'd like to know what I'm thinking."

She stopped and put a hand on her hip and gave me a look.  You know, that *look* that women always give you when they know you're hiding something from them and they are absolutely going to get it out of you.  "Try me."

I started slow.  "Well, for one thing, these weren't always here," I said, gesturing to the houses.  "This was a clearing.  A battlefield."

"You fought here?"

"Yes.  I was ambushed by Shinsengumi.  Six of them, during the last part of the Revolution."

"Did you kill them?"

I almost jumped, but then I looked at her.  There was nothing but curiosity in her eyes.  They held no judgment, just a question.  I sighed.  "Yes…"

  
_My fears come alive  
In this place where I once died  
Demons dreaming  
Knowing I...I just needed to realign_

The other two decided to join in and mob me, each of them landing wounds all over me.  The one whose hand I had severed was on his feet and rushed me in a blind rage.  He tackled me, and I brought my wakizashi up.  It slid clear through, coming out of his back.  I left the blade and concentrated on the other three.

I cut through one of them like a madman, blood pouring from the gash on his chest that assuredly destroyed his heart. Another came at me, and this time I wasn't quite fast enough.  His blade slipped into my side, puncturing a lung.  I coughed up blood, and roared like a wounded beast.  My sword, slowed from blood loss and pain, came up again as I knocked him back.  It drew a red line up his right leg and to his armpit.  Not fatal, but he was out of my way for now.

  
_My fears come alive  
In this place where I once died  
Demons dreaming  
Knowing I...I just needed to realign_

The last one didn't stand a chance.  He had been hanging back most of the time, and he must've been a new recruit.  He held his sword awkwardly and kept glancing at his fallen comrades.  I choked on more blood, but ran at the boy anyways.  He couldn't have been much older than I was.  He froze in fear, and never moved as my blade slid into his throat.  I pulled back; he gurgled a little, then died.

The blood was flowing freely out of my mouth now, and I still had one more man to deal with.  Oh, was he dealt with.  I was angry.  Understatement.  No quarter.  He ran for me, I sidestepped with more speed than I should have used in my condition, but what the hell.  He turned and I waggled a finger at him, daring him to come within my reach.  He did, idiot that he was.  He only got a sword imbedded to the hilt in his stomach.  I wrenched it loose, coughed again, and finished the job by neatly cutting him in two.

  
_My fears come alive  
In this place where I once died  
Demons dreaming  
Knowing I...I just needed to realign  
Yeah!_

"You were pretty hurt, Kenshin, what happened after that?"

"I…I don't really remember.  I made it back to the safe house, they patched me up and sent me on my way again."

"That's so cold," she said, actually shuddering.

I gave a hollow laugh.  "The war was about over anyways.  That was the last time I fought with the Shinsengumi."

She put her arm around my shoulders.  I stiffened a little.  "C'mon now, Kenshin, why don't we go back to the Aoiya?  I'm sure they've got lunch made by now."

"That…story didn't affect you?"

"Of course it did, silly.  But what's done is done.  You can't change the past, Kenshin.  Besides, you're not that man anymore."

I smiled a little and relaxed.  "Right.  This is the place where I…no, where Battousai died."

She smiled and took my hand.

DarkHorse says:  Wow.  The song is "Re-align" by Godsmack off their new CD Faceless.  I highly recommend getting it.  It rocks my…well, it just rocks.  I've had this floating in my head since I got the CD.  The song immediately reminded me of Kenshin's thoughts on Kyoto.  Until next time!  O yeah, and review, ya jerks!  And if Kenshin's thoughts sound a little disjointed, it's done on purpose.  Would you be thinking coherently if you remembered that?  And I also dropped the 'de gozaru' here on purpose, too.  He's a bit stressed.  Besides, the story's too serious for that.


End file.
